Latest news with #Vučević
Chicago Tribune
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Bulls select French teenager Noa Essengue with the No. 12 pick in the NBA draft
The Chicago Bulls took a swing in the NBA draft Wednesday night by selecting French teenager Noa Essengue with the No. 12 pick. A 6-foot-10 forward boasting a 7-1 wingspan, the 18-year-old Essengue was one of the youngest prospects in this draft class — and one of the latest arrivals. He was playing for Ulm in the playoffs of the Basketball Bundesliga, a top league in Germany, until Sunday, when he flew to the U.S. for a handful of private workouts before official draft activities began Tuesday. Essengue offers plenty of upside, including a versatile physical profile and an ability to play a variety of positions. But his game also brings plenty of wrinkles for the Bulls to iron out. Whether Essengue can grow into his stature, develop a reliable shot and learn to play through contact will define the overall success of this pick in the long term. Essengue is three days older than No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, who was the youngest player in the draft class. This is only the first step of a busy offseason for the Bulls, who were eliminated from the play-in tournament for the third year in a row after a 39-43 season. The previous season signaled an acceptance by the front office that change is necessary, resulting in the departures of former standouts DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso. Despite his notable wingspan, Essengue doesn't offer the same tangibles as other bigs in this draft — and he doesn't give the Bulls a clear succession plan for veteran center Nikola Vučević, who has made it clear as he enters the final year of his contract that he doesn't wish to spend the end of his career mired in a rebuild. The Bulls have been actively shopping Vučević for more than a year but chose not to trade him at the deadline in February. With Essengue now in place, the Bulls will shift their focus toward moving Vučević — while also pursuing a new deal with restricted free agent Josh Giddey and potential plans for Patrick Williams, Lonzo Ball and other assets.
New York Times
16-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bulls' Nikola Vučević has quietly become one of the NBA's most consistent players
Coby White can find humor in most things, but when a conversation turned to Chicago Bulls teammate Nikola Vučević's age, White stopped laughing. 'I don't talk to him about that,' White told The Athletic. 'He ain't that old. How old is he, like, 34? He doesn't play like he's old.' Vučević, who turns 35 in October, is the oldest player on a suddenly younger and more athletic Bulls squad. Surrounded by jovial twentysomethings inside a loose and lighthearted locker room, Vučević easily could be targeted with endless wisecracks. But the Bulls appreciate their anchor too much. Advertisement Chicago enters Wednesday's Play-In Tournament against the Miami Heat after winning 15 of their final 20 games. The Bulls finished with a 39-43 regular-season record, similar to last season, even after trading Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan last summer and Zach LaVine days before the trading deadline. After many assumed he'd also be traded, Vučević has remained as the improbable lynchpin on one of the league's most surprising teams. 'He's the key to a lot of what they do because of his ability to stretch the floor and score in the post,' Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. 'It changes the way you have to guard them when he's playing at a high level. They're playing faster. They're shooting more. I think their guys are playing better, and I think it starts with Vučević.' In his 14th season, Vučević continues to be one of the league's most consistent, albeit polarizing performers. Bulls vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas routinely refers to Vučević as a 'double-double machine,' while some fans have complained about his shortcomings. The biggest criticism of Vučević centers around his defense and how, on some nights, he must overcome size and athleticism disadvantages. For 4 1/2 seasons, some have allowed those areas of weakness to overshadow Vučević's elite productivity. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Vučević, Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Domantas Sabonis are the only players who have averaged at least 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in a minimum of 300 games. That makes Vučević not just consistent but also durable. He's appeared in 330 of a possible 357 games since joining the Bulls. 'I think his consistency comes from his work ethic,' said Jokić, a three-time MVP and a close friend of Vučević. 'That's something that was probably in his family because his dad was a basketball player, and he gave him that. Consistency is something that you work for during the summer; you thrive on that. 'I think we, as European players, we really are proud of that, that we can say we are really consistent as a player. He's a really intelligent player, really smart, knows how to get his shot. It's something that he's done for 14 years, so it's amazing to see.' Vučević ranked seventh in the league with 45 double-doubles this season. He recorded a triple-double (20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists) in a Feb. 2 game against the Detroit Pistons. But one of the biggest differences in his performance this season was his shooting accuracy. He bounced back from a difficult shooting season a year ago to post career highs from the field (53 percent) and 3-point range (40.2 percent on 4.4 attempts per game). Advertisement 'It's the hardest thing in this league,' Vučević said of consistency. 'There's so many games. There's a lot of ups and downs. You win, you lose. You have good games, bad games. But you just have to learn to deal with it and move on. I just try to bring it every night and do what I do and not get out of that. 'I've had better years and worse years, but I don't think there's been a huge difference in the way I've played and my numbers. So, I take a lot of pride in it. I try to bring it every night.' White, the team's 25-year-old leading scorer, praised Vučević for his reliability. He said his big man makes the guards' jobs easier. 'You just never have to worry about him in that aspect of showing up for a game and being ready to play,' White said. DeRozan, a former teammate of Vučević in college at USC and for three NBA seasons with the Bulls, credited Vučević's commitment to his craft. 'I mean, Vooch takes care of himself extremely well,' DeRozan said. 'The things he does off the court, people probably won't see. He does a lot of stuff to stay on top of his game. He was always the first guy in the weight room, constantly working on his body, getting his body together. All of the stuff like that is what gives you longevity. 'Knock on wood, he's never hurt. He's always available. That's just a testament to his hard work that he puts toward the game off the court.' Vooch has 13 pts halfway through the first quarter 🔥@CHSN__ | @NikolaVucevic — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 5, 2025 Bulls coach Billy Donovan said casual observers might not appreciate Vučević's understanding of the game. Donovan said Vučević has a great IQ and plays the game the right way, often turning down good shots to help the team get better shots. Donovan, however, pointed to Vučević's professionalism when asked what he appreciates most about his center. Advertisement 'He comes in every day and he works,' Donovan said. 'He's very diligent in terms of his preparation. He's reliable. You know what you're getting day to day from him.' Bulls guard Lonzo Ball added that Vučević's demeanor makes a difference each day. 'He's so even-keeled all the time,' Ball said. 'Obviously when he starts talking his language, he's a little angry; limit those techs. But other than that, he's so easy to get along with. He's never complaining. He's never saying, 'Give me this. Give me that.' He just comes to work every day, and he's a pleasure to be around.' Vučević didn't anticipate being the last former All-Star standing in Chicago this season. He's experienced enough of the business of the NBA to know anything can happen. At times, Vučević thought he would be traded. But through all the rumors and uncertainty, Vučević's professionalism never wavered. 'Honestly, I came into the year trying to really embrace it and be a good example for these guys,' Vučević said. 'I have to say, they all really are good guys. They work hard. They try to do the right things. When you're young, you're going to make mistakes. It's not going to be perfect. There're going to be ups and downs. And sometimes, as a veteran, you do get a little frustrated. But that's part of it. I can live with that if I see they're really trying to grow and improve and learn.' Vučević said he's enjoyed watching the development of longtime teammates such as White, Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams. They make him feel old, though. 'I feed off their energy. It's a very different time from when I was younger,' Vučević said. 'It's a different mindset and things, but I enjoy it. You try to embrace it. We're at different points in life. I have three kids; I'm a dad. They're young. Sometimes when they see me do certain things, it's funny to them because I'm older. But it's fun. I think when you're an older guy, you still enjoy being around younger guys and feeding off their energy and seeing what they do.' Advertisement What Vučević wants more than anything now is a deep playoff run. He's journeyed to the playoffs only four times. The first time was his rookie season in Philadelphia. He appeared in only one contest in that 2012 postseason, logging just three minutes. His next three postseason appearances, two with Orlando and one with Chicago, ended with first-round exits. Vučević, however, never has had the luxury of playing on a superteam. Aside from his time with DeRozan and LaVine, Vučević's best teammates have been the likes of Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Victor Oladipo, Arron Afflalo, Tobias Harris and Evan Fournier. The spotlight has never truly reached Vučević, despite his annual consistency, because he's never played on the big stage. 'I'm grateful for the career I've had so far,' Vučević said. 'It's better than I ever imagined when I was a little kid dreaming of the NBA. Even when I first got to the NBA, I never thought I'd make the All-Star Game or be one of the best big men in the NBA. I'm very grateful for what I have, but I'm also the type of guy who's never satisfied. I always want more. Although my career so far has been very good, I think there's a lot of room still for me to do much more.' He continued: 'It's definitely my main focus to have team success, be able to enjoy those deep playoff runs, play for something very meaningful. We all dream of the championship, and I know that's very hard to achieve. Not many players have done it. But just having a chance to be on a good team that competes for something big, obviously that would mean a lot to me and something I would really enjoy doing. But sometimes it's out of my control.' Vučević takes pleasure in knowing that his peers respect his game. He laughed when asked about the double-double machine moniker, but also expressed gratitude. 'It's nice to hear because it means people respect what you do,' he said. 'They acknowledge what you do, and you always enjoy those things. I mean, it's a little thing. I know people joke about it sometimes, but it's something I definitely enjoy hearing. It means people respect my game and respect what I do. It also speaks to my consistency. I've been able to do it year after year.'
Chicago Tribune
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Bulls sat stars for load management ahead of a crucial game Wednesday. Will the approach pay off?
The Chicago Bulls aren't prone to load management. It's become a point of pride over the past few years. Starters Nikola Vučević and Patrick Williams played all 82 games of the 2023-24 season. Former stars like DeMar DeRozan had to be convinced to sit out for the final game of the regular season once all playoff standings were set. But Tuesday, they took a different tack. The Bulls were scheduled for their final grueling back-to-back of the season, with a road game Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers followed by a home game Wednesday against the Miami Heat. And the Bulls prioritized Wednesday's matchup against the Heat, which carries the heaviest play-in tournament implications. Leading scorer Coby White was ruled out for rest late Monday night. Kevin Huerter — who started the last 12 games — was also ruled out with a right cervical strain. And both Vučević and Josh Giddey were listed as questionable for minor injuries Monday before ultimately sitting out Tuesday. This resulted in the first true load management rotation of the season for the Bulls. The Bulls' choice makes sense. Of the two games, Wednesday's matchup has the higher stakes: with a win over the Heat, the Bulls could firmly secure home-court advantage for the ninth seed by moving 1 1/2 games ahead of Miami with only two games remaining in the season. Managing minutes for White has been a concern all season. The guard is averaging 35 minutes per game since the All-Star break, a workload that has tested his endurance as the team's lead guard. Head coach Billy Donovan has emphasized the importance of getting White breaks whenever possible, especially as he prepares for his first-ever postseason as the primary scorer for the Bulls. And players like Huerter, Giddey and Vučević have been playing through minor physical tweaks and knocks throughout the past month, lending credence to the importance of taking a breather Tuesday before a must-win game. But did the Bulls put too much emphasis on Wednesday's game against Miami — and potentially miss an opportunity to climb even higher in the Eastern Conference standings? The Bulls weren't the only short-handed team on Tuesday. The Cavaliers also held out star Donovan Mitchell — who is averaging 24 points and five assists in the sixth All-Star season of his career — after he suffered a left ankle sprain over the weekend. This considerable absence could have given the Bulls a golden opportunity to jockey for a top spot in the play-in tournament. Maneuvering all the way to the seventh seed would require several strokes of luck, including the Bulls finishing the season on a 7-0 run while both the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic simultaneously collapsed. But moving up to the eighth seed is much more tangible for the Bulls, who are only one game back from the Hawks. If they gained the eighth seed, the Bulls could advance with a single win — the ultimate goal for a team that has lost the second game of the play-in tournament for two consecutive seasons. White attributed these losses to the team's inability to adjust after the emotional overflow of winning the initial game. 'How can we come down from that emotional high and do it again two days later and be able to have that same attention to detail, that same physicality, that same compete level?' White said. 'We got to get past the first game in general, but how can we bring that competitiveness in both of those situations? Because it's a single-game elimination. It's just like March Madness.' Ultimately, the Bulls are making the safe — and advisable — decision. While their performance in past play-in tournaments is clearly a concern, the Bulls also have to weigh the importance of positioning themselves for the second game of a back-to-back. The Bulls have a 4-8 record when playing on no rest this season. Some of these losses were circumstantial due to the strength of the opponent, but it's clear this team struggles to produce the depth and consistency necessary to log games on consecutive nights. And if the Bulls drop a loss on Wednesday, it could plunge them all the way back into the 10th seed. Still, the Bulls will have to wait until Wednesday to see if the added day of rest is enough to secure the ninth seed — and avoid another play-in trip to Miami.
Chicago Tribune
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
3 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls' overtime loss at MSG, including Nikola Vučević's rough night in crunch time
NEW YORK — The Chicago Bulls still have a little fight left in them — but it wasn't enough to stop their losing streak from reaching five games. The Bulls came out of the All-Star break with newfound energy Thursday night, pushing the New York Knicks to overtime before losing 113-111 at Madison Square Garden. Josh Giddey scored a season-high 27 points as the Bulls shot 19-for-48 (39.6%) from 3-point range, returning to a semblance of their up-tempo offense — only to run out of gas, allowing the Knicks to go on a nine-point run in overtime. A good loss was still better than a bad loss, which had been the case ahead of the break as they attempted to forge a new identity without Zach LaVine. 'It was good for us to have a break,' guard Coby White said. 'I think we just played with more energy tonight and we played with more of an identity.' Still, effort doesn't count for much on the score sheet. The Bulls' skid dates to the trade deadline, and they lost for the 14th time in 18 games, falling to 22-34. Yet they remain in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, a fitting encapsulation of the purgatory the Bulls likely will occupy for the rest of the season — stringing together loss after loss but retaining a spot in the play-in tournament due to the miserable status of the rest of the conference. Here are three takeaways from the loss. 1. Nikola Vučević struggled in KAT matchup. The Bulls pushed their chips into one key matchup against the Knicks — Vučević versus Karl-Anthony Towns. The big matchup appealed to the Bulls, who had lost their main firepower, LaVine, who helped to buoy their last two wins over the Knicks. The offense ran heavily through Vučević early, helping the center unlock his shooting after a dismal stretch before the break. Vučević sank a pair of 3-pointers to score a team-high 14 points in the first half as turnovers derailed the rest of the Bulls. The Knicks, however, won the matchup in the end. Vučević's scoring dropped off — he took only six shots in the second half and missed all three of his attempts in overtime, finishing with 21 points. Knicks wing Mikal Bridges blocked his shot at the end of regulation, and Vučević missed the final attempt at a tying basket in overtime. Towns continued a recent streak of savvy scoring, dropping a game-high 32 points with relative ease despite going 2-for-10 from behind the arc. 2. Go-time for Julian Phillips — but no-show for Dalen Terry. Forward Patrick Williams missed Thursday's game after undergoing a platelet rich plasma injection in his right knee, a procedure that will sideline him for at least two weeks. Rookie Matas Buzelis had already been elevated into the starting lineup in favor of Williams before the All-Star break, but the injury carved out a role for fellow wings Phillips and Terry to play more minutes. Both players are embracing the next two weeks as an opportunity to build on a season of growth. But while Phillips stepped into the secondary rotation as the backup option in the fluid wing/forward position, Terry didn't play in the loss. Phillips led the secondary unit with 12 points and six rebounds while going 2-for-3 from 3-point range. 3. Jalen Smith injury deepened the Bulls' size disparity. The Bulls already were short-handed without Williams. But they suffered another important frontcourt loss when Smith took a shoulder to the face from Towns in the second quarter. The backup center immediately dropped to the court, where Towns accidentally fell on top of him before the play was whistled dead. Smith was ruled out for the rest of the game with a face injury. His absence gave a steadier diet of minutes to new addition Zach Collins, who shot 0-for-4 in 14 minutes, 50 seconds.
Chicago Tribune
10-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Steph Curry's Jordanesque night takes a bit of the sting out of an epic Chicago Bulls' collapse
The Chicago Bulls were off Super Bowl Sunday, free to watch the game, do some shopping or just rest up for Tuesday's home game against the Detroit Pistons. When last seen Saturday night, several Bulls players were soaking their feet in ice in the locker room, while others were working out or relaxing in a tub. They had just experienced a collapse that had stunned even veteran NBA observers, turning a 24-point third-quarter lead over Golden State into a 25-point deficit in an eventual 132-11 loss. The United Center crowd of 21,297, many of whom were wearing Steph Curry jerseys and unabashedly rooting for the Warriors, left the building en masse after Curry was removed with just under 4 minutes remaining. Curry, who turns 37 next month, put on a show that none of them would forget, scoring 24 third-quarter points to ignite the comeback and hitting 8 of 16 3's on a 34-point night. 'It was like an avalanche in everything,' Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. 'It was the free throws, the rebounding, the turnovers and just the fact that (Curry) got really hot.' Curry wasn't the only factor. Bulls center Nikola Vučević said the Warriors simply 'bullied us and took away the game' in the third quarter, in which the Bulls were outscored 42-25, and into the fourth. Whatever the reason, it was worth the price of admission for those who just enjoy watching greatness on display. Bulls fans haven't seen much of it from their own team over the past decade or so, and are unlikely to see much the rest of the season under executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas' undecipherable 30-game plan. Oh well. At least Karnišovas' kept Vučević, who told the Tribune's Julia Poe recently he'd 'like to be somewhere that's in win-now mode.' That would suggest a city not named Chicago. If things had turned out differently, Vučević might have been on the other side of Saturday's matchup, helping the Warriors' playoff push instead of playing out the string with the Bulls. When I asked him after the loss if he was disappointed in staying or OK with the decision, Vučević gave an unconvincing answer. 'I'm fine,' he said. 'It is what it is at this point.' Vučević said he would remain 'focused' on helping the team win in its remaining games, which could be difficult with Donovan's goal of developing the young players. The loss of the team's leader and top scorer, Zach LaVine, adds to the degree of difficulty. Vučević will always be the proverbial good soldier, but Karnišovas did the 14-year veteran no favor by failing to find him a landing spot. Hopefully he'll try harder in the offseason so Vučević can have a realistic shot at competing for a title. The Bulls owe him that much. Photos: Golden State Warriors 132, Chicago Bulls 111 The Bulls are now 0-1 in the 30-game plan— the season-ending stretch run for Karnišovas and Donovan to evaluate what they have and which direction they'll head in next summer. They fell to 22-32 with Saturday's loss while remaining in the dreaded No Man's Land, somewhere between Play-In contention and positioning for the draft lottery. It's nowhere anyone in the NBA wants to be, but a place Karnišovas seemingly has a down payment on as architect of the Bulls. Life moves on, and with the end of the NFL season on Sunday and the start of MLB spring training in Arizona and Florida, the NBA takes center stage for the rest of the winter. What kind of madness will ensue? The recent trade deadline developments that saw superstars Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis trade places, LaVine go from the Bulls to Sacramento, and Jimmy Butler force a trade from Miami to the Warriors makes the Western Conference race a high-stakes drama worthy of binge-watching. Some insist regular-season NBA games are meaningless since 20 teams make the postseason and it's basically 5½ months of positioning for seeding. Some believe the 3-point shot is ruining the game, taking away the great inside battles for the sake of analytics. And some fans are turned off by superstars like Butler, James Harden and Joel Embiid, who seemingly can't find happiness despite fame, fortune and millions of Instagram followers. All of those are valid arguments. But Saturday night's epic Golden State comeback, led by Curry, the true successor to Michael Jordan in terms of popularity, was further evidence the NBA is just fine. That Curry did it in Jordan's old stomping grounds — with Butler making a sensational debut in a No. 10 jersey and Draymond Green on his Draymondiest behavior — made the night even more memorable. Even Bulls fans who came out to see how the new roster additions would fare in their debuts were no doubt left satisfied by Curry's explosive second-half display. It was a Jordanesque performance that reminded us of how much we miss M.J. in Chicago, even after all these years away. 'You're talking about a killer, you're talking about a lion, somebody that wants to win that's going for the kill every time,' Butler said of Curry. 'That's who he is, who he has been for a very long time. I'm grateful to be his teammate and ride alongside him.' It figures to be an interesting ride down the stretch for Curry, Butler and Green — the NBA's version of the Over The Hill Gang. The NBA needs the Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers to make playoff runs because of the global appeal of Curry, Doncic and LeBron James. The Bulls, meanwhile, hope to regroup on Tuesday in the first of back-to-back home games against the Pistons. It is, naturally, what it is.
